DRUMHELLER, Alta., – A Regina man who was arrested after taking police on a cross-province chase has been sentenced to 180 days in jail.
Jeffrey Thomas McLean, 41, was sentenced in Drumheller Court of Justice on June 13. With pre-custody credit, has 98 days left to serve. He was convicted on the charges of flight from police, driving while prohibited and possession of property obtained by crime valued over $5,000.
The charges stem from an incident on April 20, after Kindersley, Sask., RCMP alerted the Oyen, Alta., detachment about a stolen Ford F350 that had fled into Alberta. Officers from Oyen soon spotted the truck on Township Road 310, but the driver evaded police, driving through a field before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing on foot.
A large-scale manhunt followed that involved multiple RCMP detachments, Police Dog Services, and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems.
The search continued into the next day. Oyen RCMP received tips from concerned residents in the small community of Esther, about 39 kilometres east of Oyen. Witnesses reported seeing a man matching McLean’s description in the area.
McLean was arrested and charged with flight including flight from police, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime, driving while prohibited, driving without a license, driving without registration, driving without insurance, and displaying an unauthorized license plate.
